3 Money Saving Ideas For Any Family

Published Feb 23, 2015

If there was something you could have more of, what would you choose? For many people the answer is money. So now I ask, would you be willing to make small changes to your daily life if it could save you in the long run? The answer is usually, "I just don’t have the time". Well, stayed tuned.

A few years ago my family
went from a two income household down to one. It wasn’t due to any unforeseen
circumstances, just that I decided to be a stay at home mom. Regardless,
adjusting to such a change was not easy. When you are comfortable in a certain
income bracket and anything happens to change that, it’s a shock to the whole
family system. So we had to learn to live differently, not worse, just
different. I started with very small changes at first, but have grown to find
how to save hundreds of dollars every month. I’d like to just start by sharing
some of those smaller changes, changes that anyone can do.

1. Learn to bargain

For centuries that is how we survived and now most people are happy to
just pay a set fee without trying to talk out a better deal. This is especially
true for services like cable, internet, phone, and insurance. Just because you
receive a bill that has a set price, doesn’t mean you can’t get it for less.
Contact your service providers and ask them for specials they have going on.
These companies do not offer you a discount once you’ve been a customer for
some time, but you will get one if you ask. After speaking to the
representative at my insurance company just recently, she informed me, if you
want a better deal you need to call and ask. It really is that simple.

2. Take
advantage of sales and coupons

No, I’m not talking about being an extreme
couponer and stocking up on a hundred bottles of shampoo, although that is
possible. Start small with things you buy anyway. Do you have a favorite store
you shop at? Well, many stores will match their weekly sale with the coupons
that come out that week. So not only are you saving $0.50 off an item because
of the sale, but clip that $0.50 coupon and save the whole dollar! Some may
think, it’s only $1right? Not really,
all those add up and before you know it you can be saving 10-20% off your
weekly groceries.

3. Use saving apps and online codes

It may only take a minute out of
your day to check for an active code. You can find many codes with a basic Google search, or with a site like retailmenot.com. You can find savings on
anything from home furnishes to dinner at your favorite restaurant. Many stores
have also come out with their own apps for you to save 2-10% on your purchases,
you can ask about them at the service desk. Again, this is a little change, but
can save a lot when you are making larger purchases.

Finally, I’d just like to say
that once you get used to grabbing a code before making a purchase or talking
to a representative about getting your bill lowered it will become like second
nature. You won’t even notice the few extra minutes, however, you will notice
that you have more money left at the end of the week than you did before.

Written by Jeanne

I love to save money!

From a young age I was interested in saving in anyway I can. Watching my father feed a family of seven by shopping multiple stores and matching sales. My siblings and I hung around the kitchen table clipping coupons for him to use. He taught us not to be cheap but how to be frugal. He also was eager to share his savings with others and that has been passed on to us children.

I share deals on different savings blogs and can always find a "coupon" for that certain item, all you have to do is ask. Come along and save with me!